Something about spring and summer makes the season perfect for getting back into the dating scene, whether it’s the hot weather or the brighter evenings. We conducted a survey to see how hospitality businesses can use music to enhance first dates and create a much calmer atmosphere. The survey results give us insight into what music people want to hear on a first date.
Whether you’re a café or pub, there’s a genre of music suited to your venue that’ll create a memorable atmosphere for those nervous first daters.
The survey shows that around 61% of people prefer there to be music playing in the background on their first date as it can help them to relax (64%) and reduce awkwardness (57%) as music is a helping hand for breaking the ice (42%). Music can be a great way to start conversation with 33% agreeing it’s a good talking point and puts them in a much happier mood (34%) *.
Working with our neuroscientist Dr Julia Jones (AKA Dr Rock) said: “studies show that our brainwaves often synchronise to the music we hear. This means that you can use slow, relaxing music to slow your brainwaves and enter relaxing brain states.”
So, when the first date nerves kick in, they can really let the music do the talking!
We asked these UK singletons which genre of music they prefer hearing on a first date in different venues and the results show:
• Bars should bop to pop (47%)
• Pop music in a pub (48%)
• Restaurants should add chill out music to the menu (63%)
• Cafes should look to play chilled-out tunes (55%)
Not only can using music in your business help set the scene for first dates, but having background music as an aid to create a positive and relaxing atmosphere could result in those customers having a memorable experience which in turn, can help create customer loyalty with future visits.
*A survey commissioned by PPL PRS of 1000 UK respondents by Attest in June 2023